Vietnam vet takes a trip back in time

Published 11:03 am, Monday, April 25, 2016

ARGYLE  Fred F. Pallas recently learned first-hand what a trip back in time is like when he found himself back on the water on a U.S. Naval ship thats almost identical to the one he served on during the Vietnam War.

By Kate Finneren-Hessling

ARGYLE  Fred F. Pallas recently learned first-hand what a trip back in time is like when he found himself back on the water on a U.S. Naval ship thats almost identical to the one he served on during the Vietnam War.

It brought back a lot of memories, he said in reference to an Illinois River Trip he recently took where he worked on a Landing Ship Tank that was like the one he served on during his career in the U.S. Armed Forces.

That career dates back to when he was 21 years old and anticipating the Vietnam War. He decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy.

Serving in the military is something that runs in the Pallas family, as he has family members from prior generations who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Thats where a lot of my patriotism comes from, he said.

Pallas said his father served in the U.S. Army during World War II in Europe. He died in France six weeks before the war was over.

Pallass uncles also served in the U.S. Army, one in Iwo Jima and the other in the Philippines.

He said he enlisted in the Navy with the end goal of doing something that had to do with construction or engineering.

Pallas graduated from the U.S. Naval School in 1964, where he went on to be an engine man on the Landing Ship Tank 1148 (LST 1148) from June of 1964 to June of 1967.

According to the USS LST Ship Memorial Inc., the LST is an amphibious vessel designed to land battle-ready tanks, troops and supplies directly onto enemy shores.

LSTs were enormously useful during WW II, Korea and the Vietnam War, and belonged to all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

While on the LST 1148, Pallas said he went all over the world, including Japan, Vietnam and the Hawaiian Islands.

He said his duties included just about anything that had to do with engineering, including repairing landing craft engines and boat engines.

Though the LST 1148 was either scrapped or given to other countries like the other roughly 1,057 LSTs that were in existence, one LST has remained: The LST 325 which was saved by an aging crew of about 50 Navy veterans in 2000.

Those men belonged to the USS LST Ship Memorial Inc. whose mission is to educate the public about the role the LST played in keeping America free, and to preserve the memory of these ships and the men who served and died on them.

The Memorial Board has one goal: To be able to sail the ship under its own power so the public can set foot on her decks and the vessel can become a museum and learning tool for all ages.

Pallas said the LST 325 actually was made three years before the LST 1148 was built.

He said there were very few differences between the LST 325 and the LST 1148. Most of it was relatively the same, he said.

Pallas said the river trip experience wasnt a walk in the park, as he and the other veterans that were part of the Illinois River Trip had to help man the vessel.

I had to stand watch just like I did in the Navy  four hours on and four hours off, he said.

Pallas also had some public relations duties which included answering questions from tourists who came aboard at different stops along the trip.

Though he said hes not a huge fan of the public relations aspect of the job, he said he wouldnt trade the experience for anything.

I met some really interesting people and I wouldnt take it back, Pallas said. While this wasnt his first time on the LST 325, it was the first time he was on the boat out on the water.

It was a working vacation if you want to call it that, Pallas said.  … and I would do it again.

Pallas said his time in the service was very rewarding.

I wouldnt take it back for anything, he said. We thought we were doing the right thing in Vietnam.

The time he spent in Vietnam wasnt solely on the LST 1148, and he also was stationed on a swift boat from June of 1967 to March of 1968.

Pallas was one of six aboard a swift boat that was part of the Black Cat Squadron Coastal Division 13 in Cat Lo Vietnam, located near the edge of the Mekong Delta.

While there, Pallas held the title, Chief of the Boat (COB) and was second in command.

Pallas left the Navy as an Engine Man Second Class Petty Officer. Upon coming back to the states, he said he traveled the country for about a month and eventually came home to Argyle where he married his wife, Alice Ann (Grifka), who also was from Argyle.

The pair have three children, Tracey (Dale) Rich, of Argyle, Fred R. (Melissa) Pallas, of Ubly, and Danny (Janelle) Pallas of Cass City. They also have five grandchildren, with another on the way.